CHAPTER 3: "SHATTERED REFLECTIONS"

The crack in the mirror spidered like veins across the glass, sharp and sudden.

Elara stumbled back, a cry caught in her throat.

"Did you see that?" Her voice was barely a whisper.

Fallon's eyes widened, frozen. "What…the…hell just happened?"

"He was here," Elara said, her voice trembling. "Standing right here. His eyes….." She broke off, backing into the wall, eyes scanning the empty space.

"Elara, stop." Fallon grabbed her by the arm. "There's no one here…the voice could have been from your laptop or anything and the mirror might have cracked because it was too old."

"There's someone. I saw him in the reflection." Her voice cracked. "He looked straight at me like he knew I could see him."

Fallon's grip tightened. "You are scaring me."

"You think I am lying?"

"Yes. No ," Fallon said slowly, "But you're not okay. Maybe…maybe.. You need to talk to someone. A therapist or something."

"I'm not crazy."

"I didn't say you were," Fallon exhaled sharply. "But mirrors don't crack on their own and people don't just appear and disappear like ghosts."

"Except he is not a ghost." Fallon didn't reply.

Elara walked to the cracked mirror, leaned closer and touched it.

Her fingers grazed the fractured glass.

"You are bleeding!"

Elara looked down, her palm was sliced, thin streams of blood stained her skin, she hadn't even felt it.

"Come on," Fallon said. "We are going to see someone."

****

The therapist's office was bright and unnaturally cheerful.

Soft yellow walls, fake flowers, a bubbling fish tank.

It felt like a place where nothing bad had ever happened, which made Elara want to vomit.

"I don't want to be here," She muttered, slouched in the couch, arms crossed.

Fallon sat beside her, practically bouncing. "You don't have to talk, I will do the talking."

The door opened, and in walked Dr. Quinn Adams, midthirties, dark twisted locs, smart glasses, and the kind of no-nonsense expression that said; 'Try me.'

Fallon stood grinning. "Hi! I'm Fallon. This is Elara. She thinks a man appeared in her mirror and now she's bleeding. We're here because….well that's not normal, is it?"

Dr. Adams blinked. "Okay….have a seat."

"I'm already seated," Elara muttered.

Fallon leaned forward, elbows on knees. "So, she sees people in mirrors. The mirror cracked. Then she started talking about how 'he's watching' or something super creepy like that."

Dr. Adams turned to Elara. "Do you want to speak for yourself?"

Elara stayed silent.

"She's shy," Fallon offered.

Dr. Adams raised a brow. "Clearly."

Fallon continued undeterred. "Also, she smiled this morning, like creepy smile. They kind you give someone when you know something they don't."

Elara's lips twitched.

"See?" Fallon pointed. "She's doing it again."

"Elara," Dr. Adams said gently. "Do you feel like someone was watching you? Or following you?"

"I saw him," She whispered.

"Can you describe him?"

Elara looked up, eyes distant. "Dark silver eyes, smiling, like he wasn't supposed to be here…but he came anyways, he looked straight into my soul."

Fallon shivered. "Okay, definitely creepy."

Dr. Adams scribbled something in her notes. "How long have you been seeing him?"

Elara didn't answer.

"Okay," Fallon said, trying to lighten the mood. "So we're dealing with a mirror demon, probably cursed and Elara is the chosen one…just kidding."

The windows creaked.

Everyone froze.

Dr. Adams looked up. "It's an old building. Probably the wind."

But Fallon was already inching closer to Elara. "You don't think…"

"No," Dr. Adams cut in. "Let's not jump to conclusions."

Elara's eyes hadn't left the window.

A shadow moved behind it.

Elara grabbed Fallon's hand. "You saw that right?"

Dr. Adams stood, walking to the window. "There's no one……"

The glass cracked.

A single jagged line snaked across the window pane.

Silence.

Then, Elara whispered, "He's back."

Fallon turned to Dr. Adams. "Okay, doc, new question. Do you do exorcisms?"

The therapist blinked. "We are going to end the session here."

"No arguments," Fallon said, already dragging Elara to the door.

Elara paused just before stepping out.

Her eyes met a reflection in the now cracked mirror hanging on the office wall.

The reflection wasn't hers.

It was Marek's.

He was there again.

This time, he winked.

****

Fallon took Elara to see another therapist.

"I heard him," She murmured. "He said I was late."

Fallon raised her brows. "Late to what, Elara? A haunting? A dinner date with a demon?"

Dr. Linden scribbled something. Elara hated the sound of the pen.

"He said he's watching me now"

Silence.

"Who is watching?" Fallon asked half laughing.

Elara's gaze drifted to the window.

Something flickered in the glass, quick like a shadow that didn't belong.

She stood abruptly. "I need air."

"No, Elara…." Fallon started, but Elara was already at the door.

Dr. Linden stood too, calling after her but she didn't turn back.

Out in the hallway, her breathing slowed.

A whisper kissed her ear. "Took you long enough."

She spun.

No one.

Just the flicker of the light above.

Back inside the room, Fallon stared at Dr. Linden. "You saw that right? Her eyes, her pupils, they changed."

Dr. Linden was already writing again. "Bring her back tomorrow. Alone."

Fallon frowned. "Why alone?"

But Dr. Linden didn't answer.

****

That night, Elara sat cross-legged on the floor of her room, laptop open on her legs.

She wasn't writing.

She was thinking.

She wanted to summon up courage and find out if Marek was real.

She was tired of acting like a mad person.

She wanted to talk to him one on one, and see if she wasn't hallucinating.

Even though the sound of her heartbeat pounded in her ears.

She would wait for him.

Then confront him, herself.

Even though she was really nervous and panicking.

She took a deep breath.

And sighed.

The shadows on the wall began to move.

"Marek!?" She whispered in fear.

A whisper back from the dark corner of the room: "Yes darling. It's time you remember what you wrote in the first draft."

Her hand shook.

The mirror across the room, cracked again and long silence began to bleed.